Guys,
Lou is right, Pinkie is right and having an Allison board is right. If this post got a few of us to become more diligent re: preventative maintenance and common sense, that's super and worthwhile.
Regarding the Allison boats website---I think we could write quite a bit about possible 'mis-statements'. For instance, the "patented", hole shot plate on the XB 21 could not stand a legal challenge. That type of plate was in service, on a local drag boat, well before Darris patented it. This is called prior art and would invalidate the patent. I even question where Darris got the idea! How about the "cupped" propeller---hard to prove but reallly stretching it. Etc., Etc., Etc.
Now in defense of Allison. The Allison boats are laid up with the highest quality (very costly to Allison) components, currently available, and have been since 1985. Absolutely state of the art. I do not know one bassboat company that's even close, and very few offshore race boat folks are close except for their 'limited edition', megabucks models. Sure, the transom problem is a real surprise. I, for one, had never heard a peep about this. Since finding out, I had to know if there are differences in the construction. Boy it's hard to 'wheedle' this info out of the factory, but what I know, so far, is this:
1. The bassboats have always had their stainless steel, transom, reinforcing grid manufactured, largely, from stainless angle iron (this implies 1/4" thickness). The "pipe nipples", that the transom bolts pass through, are inserted in a hole drilled in the angle iron and fully welded, around the perimeter. Fellas, this is really strong! I, personally, observed transom #1 or #2 being laid and was so impressed it's impossible to describe (this transom design was intended for the Mississippi river racers that would run from New Orleans to St. Louis. They were on the clock so they'd carry 400-500 gallons of fuel and run huge setbacks---3' to 6'---with V8 JohnRudes hung on the back). WE ARE NOT GOING TO BREAK THIS BASSBOAT TRANSOM UNLESS WE ARE REALLY NEGLIGENT.
2. The Gransport transom. It's logical to assume that the grandsport used the same reinforcement as the bassboat. From what I've gathered there may have been some early experimentation, such as using bent sheet metal in place of the angle iron. This would mean that the welds would be smaller/thinner, etc. and the spacers could, theoretically, work harden and separate, if NEGLECTED via loose transom bolts. Most of us are aware enough of handling differences to pick up on loose transom bolts, but some may not be. Keep the bolts checked! If you have an early Grandsport keep checking the bolts and when you have the chance install both upper and lower transom tuffners inside the boat---problem solved. The newer, aluminum reinforcement, is so thick that there is no concern on the newer boats. I do not know when this change occured.
That's all I know, so far. I hope it's accurate.
The factory should be able to provide a simple, technical, verification, if we pushed.
PS. At the 50th rally, I saw the Yellow bass racer, up close, and personally evidenced an attempt to strengthen the transom via some high strength cable run from the transom, thru what would normally be the livewell and terminating in the stringers. I could not believe what I saw because I'd seen how an XB 2002 transom was laid and knew it was darn near impossible to have a flexible transom, unless is was one of the 1986+ to 1988 wood ones. Caveat Emptor on this one.
froggy[/i]
